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Sunday, September 6, 2009

Swatch Time: a Love Story

So. I can't thank you all enough for your help in narrowing down fabrics for the overskirt/wiggle dress combo pattern. And I went to the fabric store intending to buy the blue fleurs, just like we talked about. But then there was a problem. Another fabric caught my wandering eye and before I knew it, we went home together. It was a moment of passion, I must confess. I think you'll understand, though.Just look at this dreamy fabric. It's black embroidered illusion with silver beads and sequins. Be still, my heart. As soon as I saw it, I just knew it was the one. You can see why I fell so hard, right?

Here's a close-up of the embroidery:

And here's how it looks over a bit of black crepe, for dramatic effect.

I hope you can forgive my fickleness!

Now I have to find the right black fabric to coordinate with it, which isn't as easy as I thought it would be. It needs to be fairly firm, to tailor into a jacket and wiggle dress. I considered a cotton sateen, but I think it needs to be silk, to match the dressiness of the illusion. But I don't want it to have too much sheen, and therefore look too dressy for work without the overskirt. Ah, what a conundrum.

I will let you know, however, that I've decided to wear the wiggle dress/overskirt ensemble to my friend's wedding later this month - if it works out, that is. And the LBD and jacket will be perfect for work. So once I get the fabrics right, I think I'll actually get a lot of wear out of this!

20 comments:

ooohh...I can totally see why you fell. are there any fabric suggestions on the pattern that help? I personally think I would look for a silk crepe but it's hard to say...you'll definitely need to check everything with a swatch in hand of the illusion!

How about finding a water taffeta in black? I had a skirt out of this fabric when I was in high school (uhh-in 1957) and I had rave reviews about it. Not sure how it will look with your choice for the overskirt but just a thought from the far reaches of my memory bank.

It seems pretty! I always liked the idea of a black ensemble, because to me it enlights the versatility of this combination: it's not every garment that can go from the office suit to the theatral dress!Wouldn't a silk crepe be both dressy and firm enough?

Wonderful fabric! I'm so exited to see the result! How does it go with sewing on the vintage machine? Have you two become friends yet? I have an old machine from the 50s as well, I love it dearly and it very seldom gives me any trubble. However, when it comes to this sort of fabric I have to admit that I prefer my mom's newer machine... Good luck! =)

So, there's this old Bing Crosby movie on TV and I just had to post because, OMG, someone is wearing this dress! It was pretty neat to see it "in the wild," so to speak, and I found a clip of it online. Crappy quality, but here's someone kicking ass in a slinky, long-sleeved, polka dot version of this dress.